I chopped Car's steak into neat strips, careful and methodical, making sure each piece was small enough to be easy to eat. I slid a handful of roasted potatoes to the side, their edges crisp and golden, then sprinkled a light dusting of salt over everything. Simple. Clean. Done right.

  I picked up the pte and walked toward the dining area connected to the kitchen. The space was bathed in elegant white light, soft but bright enough to make the polished surfaces gleam.

  Beyond the tall windows, the world was swallowed by darkness—only faint pinpricks of moving light betrayed the guards patrolling the road to the compound, their fshlights drifting like slow fireflies in the night.

  I set the pte down in front of Car.

  She was already watching me, elbows resting casually on the table, a small smile pying on her lips like she'd been entertained the entire time. Not amused—pleased. That somehow made my chest tighten.

  "There we go," I said quietly, nudging the pte just a bit so it sat perfectly centered.

  She had ketchup ready beside her pte.

  I blinked at it.

  Ketchup. With steak.

  The thought startled me more than it should've, and for half a second I wondered if this was some kind of test. I swallowed the instinctive comment before it could even reach my mouth. Better not to say anything. I didn't know if she'd ugh... or if she'd take it the wrong way. The idea of disappointing her made my stomach knot.

  Car noticed my hesitation and smirked.

  I sat down beside her, the chair soft beneath me, my shoulders finally rexing now that the task was done. The room felt calm, almost intimate in a way that had nothing to do with closeness and everything to do with quiet.

  She picked up her fork, then gnced sideways at me.

  "You fit in so well," she said lightly, almost teasing. "It's like we're married already."

  I let out a small chuckle, more reflex than genuine humor. The word married echoed louder in my head than it should have. My smile faded just a little as I exhaled.

  "Yeah..." I murmured, eyes drifting to the window. "That's... a big thing."

  I tried to push the thought aside, to keep my mind from spiraling. Right now, this was just dinner. Just food. Just a quiet moment in a pce that still didn't feel real.

  Car took a bite, hummed approvingly, and nodded once. That sound—her approval—settled something in me.

  "Wow, every bite just keeps getting better and better, Miguel," Car said, chewing slowly, clearly savoring it. "So tender... so juicy." She speared a potato next, popping it into her mouth with a satisfied hum.

  "I'm gd you like it," I said quietly, wiping my hands against the front of my apron. My palms were a little sweaty. "I worked really hard to make it taste good."

  Car nodded, still eating, then paused. Her eyes flicked up to me, narrowing just slightly as she took me in properly for the first time.

  "You're not eating," she said, her tone shifting. "Why?"

  I shook my head, my fingers curling against the fabric of the apron. "I'll have something ter. I'm just... not really hungry right now." It was the truth. Ever since the morning, my stomach had been tight and unsettled, like it didn't trust anything I might put into it.

  "No, no, no," Car muttered.

  Before I could react, she cut off a small piece of steak with her fork and lifted it toward me. The smell hit me first—warm and rich.

  "Come on," she said, tapping the fork lightly against my lips. "Eat."

  I let out a small, awkward chuckle and leaned back just a fraction, trying to dodge it without making it obvious. She adjusted immediately, her hand steady, precise, like she already knew where I'd move.

  Eventually, I gave in. I opened my mouth and took the bite, chewing slowly, half-expecting my stomach to turn on me.

  But it didn't.

  The fvor spread across my tongue, and my eyes widened before I could stop myself.

  "...Wow," I murmured. "I made this?"

  Car ughed, satisfied, leaning back in her chair as she watched my reaction. "Told you."

  "Boss..."

  I flicked my head over my shoulder, nerves spiking instantly as one of Car's bodyguards approached from the edge of the dining area. Her boots were quiet against the polished floor, but her presence still felt heavy.

  Car let out a slow, irritated breath and shifted in her chair, turning away from me to face the soldier. "What is it now?"

  "Lina wants to talk to you."

  Car groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Of course she does." I frowned slightly. Lina?

  Before Car could even stand, a loud, energetic voice cut through the room.

  "Hey, hey, hey! What's up, Car!"

  I flinched hard at the sudden noise, my shoulders tensing on instinct. My heart jumped straight into my throat.

  A woman came into view, walking with confidence like she owned the pce. She was short, a bit heavyset, her face expressive and animated, eyes bright with curiosity. She radiated noise and movement, like she couldn't exist quietly even if she tried.

  "Whoa," Lina said, stopping when she noticed me. Her eyes flicked over me openly. "And who's this?"

  She took a step closer.

  Before I could react, Car was already on her feet.

  "Hey," Car snapped, stepping directly in front of me, her body blocking Lina's view entirely. "Fuck off."

  Lina blinked, then ughed awkwardly, holding her hands up. "Okay, okay—sorry! Damn. I was just trying to say hi, get to know the cutie."

  Her words made my skin prickle. I stayed silent, fingers curling against the fabric of my apron, my gaze dropping to the floor.

  Car didn't move an inch.

  "I said no," she replied coldly.

  Lina shrugged, backing off a step, clearly realizing she'd crossed a line. "Alright, alright. Message received."

  Car stayed where she was for a moment longer, solid and unmoving, like a wall between me and the rest of the world.

  Only then did I breathe again.

  'I'm gd Car is here,' I thought, my chest slowly easing as the noise and tension settled.

  "So what do you want?" Car said ftly. "I'm having dinner with someone I care about."

  The words hit me harder than they should have. Heat rushed to my face before I could stop it, my ears burning as I stared a little too hard at the table. Someone I care about... God, why did that affect me so much?

  Car didn't even gnce back at me. Her attention was locked on Lina now, her tone sharpening. "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of Mexico City?"

  That expined it. My stomach tightened slightly. Mexico City. That wasn't just any territory—if Lina was responsible for that, she wasn't just loud and annoying. She was important.

  "Yeah," Lina replied, rolling her shoulders casually, though there was a hint of defensiveness creeping in. "But I can't say hi to my boss once in a while?"

  "You're supposed to check in," Car shot back, finally sitting down again, slow and deliberate. "Not show up unannounced and ruin my dinner."

  She picked up her fork again like the conversation bored her.

  "I'm here. I'm alive. You've seen me," Car continued coolly. "Now you can piss off—unless you want to get demoted."

  That did it.

  Lina's eyes widened instantly, the color draining from her face. "Shit—wait, you wouldn't." She ughed nervously, but it came out strained. "What, you get yourself a new boyfriend and suddenly you're threatening to demote your best woman?"

  Boyfriend?

  My head snapped up before I could stop myself, my heart skipping painfully. Boyfriend? No. That wasn't right. I wasn't—I swallowed and looked away again, confused and unsettled.

  Car didn't even react to the word.

  "Just go," she said, her voice low, firm, final. "Let me rex."

  She gnced at Lina then, eyes sharp as knives.

  "And I'm not even technically your boss anymore. You answer to Sophia now. You should be following her commands."

  Sophia.

  The name lingered in my mind, heavy with importance. Whoever she was, even Lina straightened at the mention.

  Lina scoffed quietly, shaking her head. "Yeah, yeah... alright." She gnced once more in my direction, then backed off. "Enjoy your dinner, boss."

  Car didn't respond.

  Only when Lina's footsteps faded did the tension finally loosen, the room exhaling all at once.

  "Thanks for defending me, Car... she was scary," I said quietly.

  My voice came out softer than I meant it to, like I didn't fully trust the room yet. I watched her from the corner of my eye as she continued eating, completely unfazed, like Lina had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

  Car hummed in acknowledgment, cutting another bite of steak with calm, practiced movements. After a moment, she nodded once.

  "You're welcome, darling," she murmured around her food.

  Darling.

  The word settled in my chest, warm and heavy all at once. My shoulders rexed without me even realizing it, tension slipping away like I'd been holding my breath for hours. Coming from anyone else, it might've felt strange—or forced. But from her, it felt... safe. Protective. Like she meant it.

  "Yeah... I like it when she calls me that."

  ———

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